A blog about politics, science, archaeology, human evolution, jazz, culture, and the meaning of life by Michael Balter, a journalist and journalism professor based in Paris and New York (aka The Blog for People Who Don't Have Time to Read Blogs.)

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Sunday, September 7, 2008

Mamma Mia!

In a moment of weakness today, I saw the film in the Loews theater on Boston Common (one of America's greatest movie houses.) I have three basic observations:

1. Pierce Brosnan can't sing to save his life.

2. Meryl Streep can--indeed, the film demonstrates once again that she can do pretty much anything.

3. Behind the often insipid lyrics, Abba's music was original, inventive, and infectious--as everybody but music snobs has always known.

Near the end, the film makes a fleeting, subtle reference to modern DNA technology, an indication that today's audiences need to have all the threads of the plot tied up, or at least be reassured that they could be.

Time to search for a new curator of human origins

Quotes of the Moment

About Me

I am an anthropology, archaeology, and animal cognition writer with 20 years' experience covering these fields for Science, Audubon, Scientific American, and other publications. I also cover sexual misconduct for The Verge.
For more about me and what I do, copies of my articles, information about my book, and other goodies, please visit
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